Video Transcripts
Introduction Alex: Hi, my name’s Alex Vince: My name is Vincent Alex: Our topic for this hardware project is “Net Neutrality.” Vince: Now, some of you may ask what “Net Neutrality” is Alex: And a quick Google search will tell you that “Net Neutrality” is the principle that internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications, regardless of the source, and without favouring or blocking particular products or websites. Vince: But what does this mean to you? Alex: Well, in simple terms, “Net Neutrality” is the concept of a free and open internet. However, by “free,” we don’t mean as in, “free beer,” but as in, unrestricted and equal access to all internet resources for all users. Vince: In the next few minutes we will help you gain a greater understanding of net neutrality by going over a few key points. Alex: We will first discuss the history of net neutrality, before about the politics involved. Vince: Furthermore, we will provide you with an overview of the methods ISPs are employing to halt the flow of an open internet Alex: And, lastly, we will look into the future to see what the internet may have in store for you. History Eric: '''The Communications Act of 1934 gave the FCC the authority to govern the telecommunications industry, making sure that all industry services would remain equally accessible to all users. '''Alex Phan: From the 1980’s Computer Inquiry to the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and redefining of cable broadband in 2002, ISPs were gaining more ground in establishing anti-consumer policies by narrowing the classification of internet services. Alex Popell: From 1980 to 2002, several acts and policies favouring ISPs were introduced and put into practice, allowing the ISPs to evade net neutrality and redefine their services to be less competitive and more profitable. Vincent: Throughout the following decade several milestone wins against ISPs finally resulted in the classification of ISPs as common carriers, preventing them from enacting a policy of paid prioritization, providing a huge victory for net neutrality. Politics Narrator: Here we are witnessing an ongoing debate over the politics of net neutrality. Jabba the Mutt: 'I am Jabba the Mutt, representing my masters, the ISPs and CSIS. '''Anderson Pooper: '''I am Anderson Pooper, here representing the coalition of those on the side of a free and open internet. These include the federal government and associated civil rights groups. '''Judge Dog McDogsy: '''I am Judge Dogs McDogsy and we are here today to discuss the current politics of net neutrality. Mister Pooper, if you will start? '''Anderson Pooper: '''We’ve had our political correspondent, Dr. Sherlock Bones, go out and summarize how all of Canada’s political parties stand in regard to the open internet. '''Dr. Sherlock Bones: '''Thank you, Mr. Pooper. The NDP has voiced its support for net neutrality in the House of Commons through Charlie Angus, the digital spokesperson of the party. The Liberal Party has declared support through MP, Marc Garneau, when they were a minority in 2009, and urged the previous Conservative Party Leader and PM, Stephen Harper, to follow suit, which they have. Lastly, the Green Party has declared its support for net neutrality in its policy statement. Furthermore, the general population, has been in overwhelming support of an open internet as we’ve seen in the internet blackout following the proposals of SOPA and PIPA. '''Judge Dog McDogsy: '''Thank you for that political summary, Dr. Bones. Now let’s hear from Jabba the Mutt. '''Jabba the Mutt: '''All we’re trying to do is maintain a profitable business model for ISPs and ensure the security by allowing CSIS to monitor internet traffic. Let’s hear from our ISP specialist, Cujo. '''Cujo: '''We have been lobbying the federal government to allow us to implement policies that include bandwidth throttling and IP blocking. People don’t understand that infrastructure costs money! National security is at risk too! Just ask Agent Dogg Moulder! '''Dogg Moulder: '''That’s right. The government is supportive of net neutrality, to some extent, but when it comes to the safety of our citizens, we have to violate it just a little bit, with bills like C-51! '''Judge Dog: '''Well that’s all very interesting stuff to consider. I suppose the politics behind net neutrality are a “ruff” area to navigate! Technical Implementation '''Alex Popell: '''We’re here tonight with Alex McHitlerson, one of the leading network engineers at Fastlane, Canada’s only remaining ISP. Now, Alex is going to talk to us tonight about the technical implementation of how ISPs are slowly choking the lifeforce out of the open Internet. How are you sleeping at night, Alex? '''Alex Phan: '''Better than ever before! '''Popell: '''That’s great! Let’s start the interview! How are you dealing with so many new users joining every month? '''Phan: '''We use a variety of technologies, including QOS and DPI, along with subsidized data plans as well as peering agreements. '''Popell: '''Now, you said, "QOS." What does that mean? '''Phan: "'QOS" stands for “Quality of Service,” where we actually look at the headers of the data we are receiving. Think of about the data as an envelope. We are actually looking at where these letters are being addressed, and deciding on whether we want to ship it faster or slower. 'Popell: '''Now, you've also mentioned “DPI.” What does that mean? '''Phan: "'DPI" stands for “Deep Packet Inspection.” We are actually opening the packets and looking inside the data. Think of it as if we’re opening your letters, and reading them. Then we can decide if we want to move them faster, slower, or stop them altogether. '''Popell: '''Subsidized data? what does that refer to? '''Phan: '''Subsidized data means deciding what services will actually count toward your data cap and which won’t. For example, if we were launching a new streaming service called “FastMedia,” we would want to make sure that that service doesn't count toward the user’s data cap. That allows them to use our service more often, and leads them to use it more frequently, than a competitor’s service, such as “NewMedia.” It also allows us to control whose services are on our network and whose aren't. '''Popell: '''And what are peering agreements? '''Phan: '''You can think of peering agreements as another company attaching themselves to our network. When they are peered to our network, they are directly connected to our customers, allowing them faster service. We often charge a lot of money for these agreements, in order to generate a lot of profit of these deals. Also, if a company moves in as a competitor, we can work to slow down their services because they aren’t technically peered with us. '''Popell: '''Thank you, Alex McHitlerson for an exciting interview. Do you have any final words for our viewers? '''Phan: '''I hope to see you on the net soon, and sign up now! Future '''Alex: '''I just moved into my new place, and I should look into getting some home Internet. I guess I'll checkout out the one and only remaining ISP, FastLane. It sure is a shame that due to a lack of industry regulation on the part of the CRTC and, in the States, the FCC, large ISPs and telecommunications have managed to monopolize and shape internet traffic to prioritize their profits over customer service and competition in the market place. I definitely want to use the internet to stream music, videos, movies and shows. in the past, it was possible to choose from a variety of streaming services, but it looks like the only ones that survived, were the companies that had the financial resources to procure faster access to Internet users. All other options that couldn't afford it, could no longer compete. So the only options I have left are Soundify, Moveflix, and VideoTube. I wonder what the pricing is now that these 3 services have monopolies. Looks like my best bet is the “Extreme Package,” as it has 40 GB per month of priority access to the services I want. for… $200 a month on a 1 year contract?!? Why didn’t anyone stop it from getting this bad? '''Vince: Well actually, in the 2016 US federal election, a Republican win effected the selection of a Solicitor General, a lawyer that advises the supreme court, to push appeals against FCC wins that ultimately resulted in a lack of government regulation for these services. Alex: But what about the people? Didn’t anyone care? Vince: As you can see, people got together and petitioned to save net neutrality by providing information, as seen on battleforthenet.com, and even came up with an action plan that focused on petitioning the government to protect net neutrality, as you can see on savetheinternet.com. Alex: What you’ve seen here is a possible future depiction of a world without net neutrality. Vince: Only you can save the internet! Conclusion '''Alex: '''What a fantastic presentation! '''Eric: '''I really enjoyed that, and I hope you enjoyed it too. '''Alex: '''We had a look at the rich history behind the open Internet '''Eric: '''We had a look at the politics involved '''Alex: '''We've examined some of the methods that ISPs are using to threaten net neutrality, '''Eric: '''And we've speculated about a potential dystopian future for the Internet as we know it. '''Alex: '''We hope we have conveyed, to you, the importance of a free and open web. '''Eric: '''And that you will feel as compelled as we do to uphold the sanctity of this noble platform. '''Alex: '''Thank you '''Eric: '''And goodnight.